Date: Sun, 26 Nov 2006 18:57:12 -0500
From: SG
Subject: Moonlightesville Chapter 3. The Strange Village
Had not been told where it was, they would probably think this village one
of the Hollywood settings: in the moonlight, they could clearly distinguish
the whole village from its surroundings. The village was not a typical
America style, all the exotic shaped houses in which were densely located
to each other; paths which seemed to be made from pebble stones were
running across, connecting the houses together. This scene reminded Scott
of the ancient Indian tribes and from World History of Asian residential
buildings.
Whatever the village was, they could tell there was a big turmoil among the
villagers. People talking in non-English looking extremely flustered were
all outside their houses. It seemed a terrible thing had just happened and
everyone was awaken from their deep night dreams.
"Guys, something happened. Stephanie was gone. Oh, God, this is terrible."
Jake went back, speaking in panic.
"What? What happened?" Maggie asked.
"When I got back to the car, she was not there. I called. She was not
answering either." Said Jake, his pointed pale face even paler in the
moonlight.
"I think we need to call the police." As Maggie said, she took her cell
phone of out her jacket pocket and dialed "911".
"I think we should." Agreed Scott. "Don't worry bud, she will be
fine. Maybe she was just walking around and will be back in a minute."
Scott patted Jake on the shoulder.
"Hope so."Said Jake, still breathing hard.
"VA police department, how can I help you?" Maggie got an immediate answer.
"Hi, we are now at a village that we don't know the name. And actually this
village is not on the map. Well...we are actually by the roadside of Harmon
drive, Elizabeth County I think. We have a missing person and there is
something strange going on, we need help, please."
"Ok, Miss, stay calm, is there any identifiable object near you, like a
building, a farm, etc?"
"Um, where are we guys?" Maggie put the cellphone down and asked. ":Where
exactly are we?"
"I think." Scott scrutinized the map with his LED light from the
keychain. "tell the officer we are close to Stanley Cemetery by Harmon
drive."
"Spooky." Mike managed to say something finally.
Maggie merely looked at Mike and picked up the phone again."We are by
Stanley Cemetery off Harmon drive."
"Do you happen to know the zipcode?"
"Well..."
"Never mind Miss. Two police officers will be there shortly. Could you
please leave your name and cell phone number?"
"Cop's on their way?" Jake asked.
Maggie nodded at him and continued to finish her conversation with the
operator.
"Why don't we go back? Maybe Stephanie is always in the car." Maggie said.
"Yeah. We can deal with this later, but it is more important to know what's
going on with her." Mike said.
They waked cross the woods back. Nobody said anything, only the sound of
touched branches and twigs being heard when they walked by.
It was midnight already.
The car was empty, no sign of Stephanie. Jake sat down on the ground,
looking extremely horrified and exhausted.
"Sorry, Jake, it was my entire fault. I shouldn't have followed the man at
the first place." Scott said apologetically.
"Scott, this is stupid, don't you think? What the hell...Jesus, things are
crazy." Jake put his hands to cover his face.
"I think this has something to do with the stranger, the man who was here
just now, don't you think?" said Maggie.
"Whatever it is, let's wait in the car. Come on, Jake. She will be ok."
Scott gave Jake a nudge and then they saw a police car coming their way.
Jake stood up, walking to the middle of the road and waving at the car.
The car pulled up by the road and two police officers got off. One was a
big beefy man in his fifties with a big mustache, grey hair and beady
eyes. The other from the driver seat looked much younger and slimmer.
"I am Bob Johnson. We got your call. What's going on?" Asked the older
officer.
"My girlfriend is missing. We went into the woods and left her in the
car. When we got back she was gone." Jake said.
"What's your name?"
"Jake, Jake Green." Jake showed his driver's license.
"What's in the woods? Sir, I need you to tell me everything." The officer
said politely.
Jake told him exactly what happened: how they encountered the man in the
middle of the road, how they found the strange village and how Stephanie
was left alone.
"I need you to take me the where you saw those people Sir."
"Sure, Scott you go with me. Mike, Maggie, will you two stay here with
officer...?"
"Jeff." The younger officer said.
Scott had felt something not quite right when they were in the woods. The
noise from the village seemed to have died away and even disappeared. At
the point when the reached the other side of the woods, he was again
shocked. The village had disappeared, not a trace to be found.
"This is impossible. It was right there." Jake gasped, pointing to the
direction where the village had been.
"Mr. Johnson, I swear what we said is true. There was indeed a village,
minutes ago. With a lot of people around." Scott explained.
"Enough! This isn't funny young men!" Snapped the officer. "Now, we are
going back."
"But my girlfriend is missing, we can't go back."Jake said almost like a
yell. He regretted having no pictures taken.
"I am not sure if I could trust you. Anyone of you." The officer said
suspiciously.
"Okay, maybe the village was gone or it was our hallucination, which I
highly doubt. But our friend is missing. This is the fact, Mr. Johnson. Her
name is Stephanie Richardson." Scott said.
"Let's go back first and I will sort this out." The officer turned around
and went back into the woods.
"Don't be sad Jake, I am not sure what happened tonight. But I am sure the
officer will help us find Stephanie." Scott comforted Jake.
"I don't know. This is insane." Jake shook his head. He looked up at the
full moon and sighed. Then he suddenly realized something. "it must the
man, Scott, the man on the road, he must've kidnapped Stephanie while we
were lured here. This whole thing must've been a trap. I don't know how he
managed to create the village scene."
"Let me think about it. We better go Jake. They are waiting."
Jake followed Scott back reluctantly, looking to his back frequently as if
there was someone in the woods who was watching them.
"...you've got to believe us! I swear..."
"Your friend has sworn to me, now I need you to tell me the truth. This
isn't funny business. You are wasting my time." Maggie's high pitched voice
was interrupted. Obviously, the officer told them what he just saw with
Scott and Jake.
"What happened Scott?" Maggie saw him coming out of the woods. She ran at
him and grabbed his arm.
"The village's gone Maggie. Don't ask me. I had no idea."
"Stephanie was kidnapped by the man! He showed up and made us follow him,
and then he took my girlfriend away." Jake insisted that the man was the
criminal.
"Come down Jake, this doesn't make sense. How would he know it was
Stephanie who was staying in the car, not you, or not me?" Scott had this
weird feeling that ever since he saw the man's eyes, he felt like he was a
good man.
"That doesn't matter! The man was up to something I just know it and that's
why he ever came to us." Jake defended.
"I will call the department asking for a searching team. But I want to warn
you all, you will be in dead trouble if you lied to me." Mr. Johnson said
and summoned the younger officer to him, talking in private.
"For now, let's search around this area. Don't act alone. Jeff will be with
you two guys and I will go with this lady and this young man." Mr. Johnson
pointed at Maggie and Mike. He got two portable lamps from the back of the
police car and handed Jeff one. "Don't go too far and keep in touch, you
got that?"
"Yes, Bob." Jeff said.
"Thank you Sir!" Jake said in gratitude.
"Jeff, you go up alone and woods and we will go down. Wake the farmers if
necessary. Let's go."
They left their cars by the road, the lights on the police car still
shining.
"Stephanie! Stephanie!" They were shouting as walking along.
On they went searching for about half an hour, and to their greatest
dismay, not even a trace of people couldn't be seen except for the passing
cars, which slowed down or pulled up to ask what's wrong. As a matter of
fact, their lamps didn't improve their visual much since the moon was so
bright at night that everything was clear in the blue haze. Though Scott
didn't quite agree what Jake said about the connection between the man and
Stephanie's disappear, at this point, he somehow felt there might be some
relevance after all. But how? Scott thought hard and couldn't
explain. Officer Johnson had confirmed that there was no sign of kidnapping
at all. It was more likely that Stephanie just left herself, unless,
somebody was pointing a gun at her. But why? She hardly knew anybody
here. Besides, how could a remote area like this be full of crime? All
kinds of possibilities were flashing on Scott's racing mind.
And then the search team arrived, five more officers joined them. But
neither Stephanie nor any clues were found. Jake looked like as if he was
on the verge of a big mental collapse. Everybody knew how much Stephanie
meant to Jake. They had been a classical couple ever since the freshman
year.
They didn't really know how long they had been searching, but the morning
twilight had appeared from the east.
"Gentlemen, I suggest that you all go back, having some rest, and we will
keep on looking. We will let you know once we find anything. Please also
provide the telephone number of Stephanie's parents. We need to notify them
as well. But again, I have tell you what you did last night was not very
wise. Now go home with your friends." Said Mr. Johnson in an orderly voice.
Jake didn't go hyper this time, which surprised Scott. He had expected an
over reacted Jake blaming him for leaving the car first. But Jake merely
told him to call Maggie and Mike. As for him, he needed to call Mr. and
Mrs. Richardson, not knowing what they would act like.
Stay tuned for Chapter 4. The man from no where